There were others who commented on his post about not liking gardening gloves and I could identify with their sentiments. I have always disliked wearing traditional gardening gloves for many reasons. One being because I like to feel the dirt, that is, I like to feel it without getting dirty. Another reason is that there is usually too much bulk at the finger tips and it makes handling delicate new plants more difficult when transplanting.
On the other hand, I am terrified of having some creepy crawly thing bite me while I garden. I've been bitten by a spider before and even though it wasn't life threatening by any stretch, it still required a doctors visit, medication and was very uncomfortable, with considerable swelling and pain.
Many years ago, I found that a better alternative for me was surgical gloves. They weren't perfect, but far better than any garden glove I'd tried before. The problem with them was they were too thin and when weeding and planting I still got some dirt under my fingernails. I had to change them often and they caused my hands to sweat and my nails to get soft and tear.
Then last year I discovered the perfect glove.
They are wonderful! Far superior to traditional garden gloves and regular surgical gloves. They are thicker than regular surgical gloves and do not tear easily, in fact I can use the same pair several times. I usually clean the dirt off and turn them inside out when I take them off and reuse the same gloves. They are really tough. My hands still sweat some, but not as bad as when using other surgical gloves. They can readily be purchased at Walmart, and the best thing is that they are a pretty color of purple. I love them!One day at the end of October, I stopped by Garden Thyme, which is a wonderful nursery here in Noblesville that is located at an old two room schoolhouse that the nursery owner, Kim Porter, is saving up her garden profits to restore. I talked for a few minutes with Kim about the nursery and I noticed that she too was wearing the same purple gloves. She said she loved them and they were her garden gloves of choice too. Like me she turns them inside out to reuse them.
So, for those who dislike traditional garden gloves, you should give these a try. Sorry Stuart, I don't think they are available in any other color. Hmmm...do real men wear purple gardening gloves?
